Lennox POV
"She refuses to say anything." Beckham and Brandt continued to whisper about me like two school girls as if my ears had recently been rendered ineffective.... Well, newsflash they still work perfectly fine.
"I mean... What do you want her to say?"
"I don't know... But shouldn't she say something? This isn't normal and it's definitely not normal for Len."
I've had enough of them. "Can the two of you keep it down before you wake up the children?!" I muttered through gritted teeth, readjusting Jayce-Lynn who was fast asleep in my arms and gesturing towards Knox was also sleeping peacefully as well, in his stroller.
"See she still talks."
That's not a statement I plan on dignifying with a verbal response, I simply rolled my eyes opting to return to the silence that I personally found to be quite comfortable, once again.
"Len?" I looked up at Lina who was now standing in front of me with bloodshot eyes, "I'm gonna take the kids back to our place, they shouldn't be here and my sister Louisa has agreed to watch them."
Jayce can go because she's more than capable of articulating if something goes wrong, and will. However Knox will stay with me. Not that I don't trust Louisa, she's family but.. He's still very young and I don't want to leave him with just anybody and she's never watched him before. I'll probably start feeling a little more relaxed when he's at least walking but he's not there yet.
I reluctantly handed the sleeping toddler to Lina, running a hand over my face. "Thank you." I gave her a small smile. The act was extremely kind, she's trying to ease the burden and I appreciate that.
A hell of a lot more than I appreciate the bullshit Beckham's been on. It's probably best that Jayce isn't around right now, not that she knows what's going on anyways. She's had enough trauma in her life, I wasn't going to tell her there's a chance Ms. April might die. That'd be fucked up.
"I'm gonna go get some air." I finally have had enough of being in this depressing ass hospital, "Keep an eye on Knox would you?" I didn't wait for a response before walking away.
Len🤎: You here yet?
"Umm... Where are you going Miss Thang?" Christian's nosey ass called from behind me.
"To smoke weed. If you're coming hurry the fuck up." I don't even mean to be rude but I've exhausted my social-battery, it's been used up in it's entirety. I don't have the bandwidth for niceties.
"That's what you wanna do right now—"
"Nigga are you coming or not?!"
"Hell yeah! I was just saying... Like there's smoke alarms in here and shit."
I waved two fingers gesturing out to the parking lot. He really ought to be using his critical thinking skills. I glanced around the parking lot until I finally found the vehicle I was looking for, a black Camaro with tinted windows. I walked over to car knocking twice on the passenger side window to prompt the driver to unlock the doors before sliding into the passenger seat.
"Thanks for coming. How much do I owe you?" I dug around in my purse absentmindedly trying to scrounge up the last bit of cash I had on me.
"You know you don't owe me anything. We're good lil mama, don't worry about it."
"Wait a minute... He's the plug? Nigga you been holding out on me?" I heard Christian's voice from behind me as he was trying to make sense of why I was hitting up his cousin for weed.
"Nah.. I don't sell that shit. I just usually got something on me and Lennox knows that." Kai shrugged nonchalantly, handing me the blunt from his lips.
I did stop fucking Malakai though sometimes I do miss that shit. Not the dick, mostly the head. But I am trying to abide by the rules of monogamy or whatever... However, we still keep in contact as it's almost impossible to avoid him entirely. Plus there's the fact that he's still pretty much willing to do anything for me including supplying me with bomb ass weed for free whenever I ask.
I also appreciate the way he doesn't ask questions or attempt to psychoanalyze me and shit the way Beckham does. I texted him letting him know Ms. April was in the hospital and that I desperately needed something to take the edge off. He didn't ask any follow up questions, or inquire about my emotional state, simply pulled up.
"I'm sorry... When the fuck did y'all start hanging out?" Christian interjected from the backseat looking between Malakai and I with a perplexed expression on his face.
I took a long drag from the blunt, cracking the window slightly so that I could blow the smoke out. Beckham would throw a fucking fit if I showed back up smelling like kush.
"We kinda just started kicking it.. Len's cool as fuck. That's the little homie." Malakai smirked a little at the end, causing me to start choking mid-inhale.
No he fucking didn't...
Pretty sure Christian just wrote it off as the weed being a little too strong.
Kai let out a chuckle squeezing my thigh, "You good Lil Bit?"
Not the nickname that Christian and Miles call me now he's going to fucking far. I cut my eyes at him, shooing his hand off of me before passing the blunt back to Christian.
"Are we terrible people for sneaking out to get high in the middle of tragedy?" Christian questioned causing me to look back at him quizzically. Is he high already?
"Nah... Everybody copes in their own way. Honestly all that helpless waiting was stressing me the hell out. At least the indica is gonna help calm me down."
"True." The cousins agreed at the same time.
"But we're all aware that we aren't mentioning shit about this to Miles right?" Cause he would not be understanding, not at all. He'd blow a fucking gasket.
"Hell nah!"
I let out a laugh, as the three of us sat in the cannabis-filled car. It definitely didn't take long to start feeling it and after about fifteen minutes the blunt was practically gone and it was time to head back inside. Well after lingering around the parking lot for a bit, so the fresh air could help dissipate any remnants of the smell of weed that were left on us.
As I made my way back into the waiting area of the hospital, Beckham immediately flocked to my side. Sort of as expected. "Hey, you were gone for a while. I was just about to come looking for you." Beck wrapped an arm around my waist, pulling me in for a hug. "You feeling any better?"
"Yeah... I feel better, just went to get some air like I said." I smiled softly, pecking his lips.
He let out a small chuckle, "You seem to be a in a better mood."
"Yeah..." I shrugged my shoulders, "I was just chilling with Christian for a bit. I guess it helped calm my nerves."
"Well let's try and get some food in you, you haven't eaten anything all day."
"I'm not hungry." I answered honestly. I've heard of people getting the munchies when they're stoned but that's never applied to me. I don't feel hungry after I smoke, just like mellow. Maybe because I only fuck with indicas. "Have they given any updates about Ms. April's condition?"
"She's stable... But she's still unconscious so the doctors don't know much."
That's the thing about shit like this, despite all the advancements in technology there's no definitive way to measure the severity of the damage until the individual wakes up. Of course, you can make predictions but there's no way to know for sure. I guess that's why I have so much anxiety. It was one thing when I found out my parents were dead, they were dead. There was nothing I could do. Especially not halfway across the country, but this sitting around waiting for the other show to drop... It's excruciating.
I let out a shaky breath suddenly wishing that I had smoked some more.
"Hey... If you won't eat, let's atleast get a smoothie or something in you, okay?"
I nodded my head reluctantly conceding to Beckham's terms.
"Babe... Miles thinks everyone should just check into the Four Seasons a few blocks away. Visiting hours are almost over and Ms. April still isn't awake yet." Beckham coaxed as I rocked our baby back to sleep.
"Christian and Miles are checking into the hotel?" I raised an eyebrow waiting for him to confirm that information.
"Christian and Lina are, yes..."
"If Miles is staying then I'm staying." I don't even understand why'd he propose leaving, it doesn't make sense to me.
"Lennox you can't even stay past visiting hours. It's family members only."
I stopped rocking Knox, staring up at Beckham in disbelief. "You did not just say that... Fuck, you're such an ass sometimes." I shook my head standing up from my seat adjusting Knox in my arms, "Brandt dear, can you grab the stroller and the diaper bags? We're leaving."
"Shit! Len! I didn't mean-" I held my hand up stopping him from continuing.
"We aren't doing this here. Stop talking okay? I'll see you tomorrow." I scoffed, stalking towards the hospital exit. I just couldn't bare to be there any longer.
That was possibly the worst thing that Beckham has ever said to me, and it's no secret that he's said lots of terrible things in the past. But that... That was uncalled for, that was below the belt. I know Ms. April isn't my mother, I don't have a mother anymore. Or a father or a stepfather. I don't even have aunts and uncles. I have Ms. April.
I found myself trying to hold back tears as I made my way out the parking lot, wrapping the blanket tighter around Knox to protect him from the night chill.
"Len, wait up. Girl why are you walking so fast?"
I slowed my pace once I realized it was Brandt following after me and not his trifling ass brother. He took one look at my forlorn facial expression and watery eyes then let out a sympathetic sigh.
"Awe bambina.." He wrapped an arm around my shoulder, "Let's get you and Twin out the cold and settled into the hotel, okay?"
"Thank you... I don't know what I'd do without you." I followed Brandt to his car as he popped the trunk getting out the car-seat he keeps in there for Knox.
"Hey, that's what best friends are for." He smiled softly replacing the stroller in the trunk where the car seat previously had been. "And Ms. April is gonna be alright, you know. She's a fighter. She's gonna pull through Len."
"Yeah.." I nodded my head unable to hold my back my tears anymore. "She's gonna pull through." She has to pull through.
So sorry that I've been MIA for so long, things have been crazy busy. But now I am back and will be posting semi-regular updates. Still trying to get my schedule all worked out and everything, but I definitely want to get back into writing. I've missed it! I feel less stressed when I write.
Will update again soon!
~Lee